142nd Preakness: Early Preview

By Bob Hill, TSV Staff Writer —-

Always Dreaming will be the post-time favorite in the Preakness Stakes at very low odds. He should be. His win in the Kentucky Derby was dominate and impressive. He showed the tactical speed and staying power that define great horses in making it look relatively easy winning a race that is anything but easy to survive, let alone win. On post-Derby Monday, his opponents in the Preakness are less than certain, especially if you are looking at Derby contenders that may take a second shot at him.

Classic Empire is the obvious one to come back in the Preakness if his Derby wounds heal in time. His fourth-place finish in the Derby probably represented the second-best effort in the race behind that of the winner. The hard collision between Classic Empire and McCraken at the start of the Derby probably compromised all chance of a win for both horses. McCraken, a more confirmed late runner, made a bid to close ground at the point in the race where you would expect him to, but he ran out of gas a long way from the finish line and ended up finishing eighth. His connections already have announced that his Triple Crown racing is over. Classic Empire was much farther back than he is used to being at the start of the race, but he battled back from the horrible start before encountering additional trouble in the stretch run. He finished fourth, which under the circumstances was impressive. He’ll be short odds in the Preakness as the top competition for Always Dreaming if he runs back. I think a run in the Belmont is a better option for him given that his sire won that race.

Lookin At Lee did his thing to perfection in the Derby. Jockey Corey Lanerie gave him a great ground-saving ride that allowed him to pass nearly every rival but the winner. Pimlico is a race track that typically favors front end speed, so duplicating his Derby effort in the Preakness may be hard to do. Trainer Steve Asmussen is still undecided about his Preakness status. The same is true for the connections of Gunnevera and Girvin; the former finished seventh in the Derby, and like Lookin At Lee, the probable shape of the Preakness does not favor his running style. Girvin ran evenly throughout the Derby, but jockey Mike Smith did encourage his trainer Joe Sharp to send him on. We’ll see.

The best two of the new shooters are likely to be John Shirreff’s trainee Royal Mo, and Santa Anita third-place finisher Conquest Mo Money. The Santa Anita Derby this year was anything but a race of beauty, but it did produce the third-place finisher in the Derby, Battle of Midway. Always Dreaming beat that one by almost 10 lengths, so Royal Mo and Conquest Mo Money would have to move forward by a big margin to challenge the Derby winner. Battle of Midway is very unlikely for the Preakness according to his trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

Unless and until any negative news comes out about Always Dreaming prior to the Preakness, he looks to be a huge and deserving favorite to win the second jewel.